Maybe I'm A Lion
by Lady Ava
Summary: Why exactly did Squall decide to become Leon? This is a personal take on how his story was created in the Kingdom Hearts universe. EDIT: Changed the entire beginning. I think this works better.
1. Prologue

**Maybe I'm a Lion**

A Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction

_By Lady Ava_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the Final Fantasy characters.

**Author's Notes**: This is kinda a procrastination piece I've been working on instead of my FMA one. (Sorry FMA fans TT) My roommate and I have gotten into Kingdom Hearts again now that the new one keeps tempting me with all these new screenshots. Well, as you can probably tell, this is a FF8/KH fic about my favorite boy, Squall. If you have never played Final Fantasy VIII, then the beginning and some other parts of the story will be somewhat confusing. But I'll try to explain as much of Final Fantasy VIII as I can.

**Warning-Spoilers for FF8 and Kingdom Hearts will happen within. **

**Prologue**

Every heart, no matter how pure, has darkness within. No matter how wholesome a person thinks they are, they cannot escape the darkness. Darkness is what will pour from those who feel the pull of evil within.

Soon, the darkness will engulf the worlds, destroying their one single star in the heavens above….

…….Warriors that seek the truth……will begin their true journey…..

……….find the truth………

…..Dispel the darkness………

………protect the souls…….

………with every heart…..lies the soul of a hero……

…..cast out the darkness…..

…find the light…

…open the door…


	2. The Door Opens

Author's Notes: This makes more sense to be chapter one for me. So, let's try this again. **  
**

**Maybe I'm A Lion**

**Chapter One**

The Door Opens

"Squall! Hurry up or we're going to be late!" Rinoa called outside of Squall's dormitory door. She was dressed to the nines in a beautiful shimmering red ball gown. Her raven hair was tied up into an assortment of curls upon her head and her bangs were moved from her eyes. Her foot tapped in annoyance as she waited for her boyfriend to leave his chambers and escort her to the graduation dance.

"Come on Squall! You are supposed to give a speech in 15 minutes to the new SeeDs!" she yelled again.

The door slid opened and the young officer of the Balamb Garden stood, towering over his pouting girlfriend, "Sorry Rinoa. I lost track of time." He said coolly, adjusting the collar of his uniform slightly.

Taking his arm as he stepped from the room, Rinoa raised an eyebrow, "You lost track of time? Squall Leonhart, commander of the Balamb Garden and savior of this world, lost track of time?" she scoffed slightly, not at all hiding her sarcasm.

Flinging his chestnut hair slightly, Squall only ignored the girl's outburst, "Give me a break Rin. I'm allowed to forget sometimes."

But the girl only sighed as they started off towards the ballroom, "I know. But you have been forgetting a lot. You were late to three of your meetings with Cid, forgot completely about helping Selphie with this dance, and you slept in six times and were late to the training missions for the candidates," She paused, hugging his arm tighter, "Squall, I'm worried about you…"

Halting in her tracks, the young commander pulled Rinoa into his arms and hugged her tightly, "Rin, you don't have to worry about me. I'm just overworked and I'm still working at feeling 100 again. After this ball, I'm gonna take off and we're going to go to Balamb and just spend the weekend there relaxing. Just the two of us, okay?"

Rinoa embraced Squall's hug and smiled a soft grin, "Ok."

They remained silent for only a few moments, letting the sounds of the party echo threw the hallways of the Garden. Both teens did not seem to care if they were late to the dance. All that mattered was that they were together and that was that.

That night was the one-year anniversary of the end of the Sorceress War and the freedom of the world from the control of any military power. The gardens were still in full commission and students still came to become SeeDs. The schools became the world's military, uniting them against any and all evil that might come again.

"Come on. We're gonna be late," Rinoa muttered, moving back to Squall's arm. They started off once again towards the ball, unaware of the growing darkness surrounding the garden…

"YOU ARE LATE!" Selphie's high-pitched shout echoed outside of the noise ballroom. She, Irvine, Zell, and Quistis, were waiting outside for the arrival of the commander and his girlfriend.

Rinoa pulled away from Squall's arm and bowed, "We're very sorry Selph. Squall lost track of time and—"

But the angry, but usually, perky girl only shook her head and covered her ears in frustration, "Whatever! I'm still mad at you Squall for forgetting to help me with this whole thing! But, you have a speech to make. So, I'll handle you later. Get in there and wow them!" And with that, she stormed off back into the ballroom.

Irvine, now a full SeeD, class A officer, simply, tipped his hat to Rinoa and Squall, "Sorry about Selphie you two. She's just under a little stress."

'Yeah, I noticed," Squall merely thought as he nodded understandingly.

Quistis tossed her hair slightly, "Well, get going Squall. They are waiting on you."

Bowing his head slightly, he took up Rinoa's arm again and they started into the ballroom.

It was even more beautiful than the last graduation dance the garden had, which had been Squall's very own. The room looked as if it was in an enchanted forest of sorts. Long strings of garland tinted with gold and sliver lights encircled each of the columns. The balconies were dressed in the same fashion. It almost seemed like the night before the Starlight Festival, when the garden celebrated Christmas.

All the students, SeeD and non, were dancing and talking to the sounds of the wonderful orchestra that placed the most wonderful waltzes for the students to dance to. Some, stood off to the sides, drinking champagne and chatting with higher ranked officers or government officials that always attended this dance to congratulate the new students and give them words of wisdom, when they weren't too drunk off of the liquor that was being served.

Squall and Rinoa made their way through the crowd, bowing to those who greeted them. Walking up the stairs of the ballroom's grand staircase, they stopped at the top and looked out over the guests. The band silenced and everyone looked up towards the two, ready to listen.

"Go ahead Squall," Rinoa muttered, slipping her arm out from his and taking a step back.

Squall stared out at the crowded room. He saw so many familiar faces looking up at him. The headmaster Cid and matron stood with Ward, Ellone, Kiros, and his father, President Loire, watching him closely. Seifer and the discipline committee stood near the base of the stairs, as if being Squall's bodyguards. Of course, Seifer would never admit to being that.

Clearing his throat slightly, Squall began: "Congratulations to the new members of Garden's elite mercenary force known as SeeD. I am very proud to have you with us. You will now be able to see the world and travel to places beyond this Garden. To see different Worlds even…" he paused, looking out over the room. Then, he gave a rare smile, "Let your journeys be many, and you adventures lead you discovery everything you could dream of. Thank you."

The applause was great and almost deafening. Squall bowed slight and stepped back to regain Rinoa's arm, "That was a wonderful speech Squall," she smiled, "But, it didn't sound like you at all."

"I decided to stop there before I sounded anymore like Cid," he muttered, remembering the speech he had received the day he graduated. Sighing lightly at the memories, the teen used his free hand to rub the temple of his head, moaning softly, "I don't know why, but this headache of mine is not letting me think straight."

As they started down the staircase, Rinoa glanced over at him slightly, "Why didn't you take something for it before you left your room?"

"That's just the thing. I did…" he muttered quietly, so softly that he knew Rinoa did not hear. They entered the floor and began their mingling with the guests. Everyone's heart was light with happiness and joy, for the evening was bright and full of life.

_The darkness was growing…its time had now come…._

"A fine speech son!" Laguna spoke loudly, hitting Squall on his back, almost making him loose his footing, "I couldn't have done better myself!"

"Isn't that the truth…." Kiros whispered quietly to Squall, keeping a perfectly straight face. Squall knew that his 'father' was used to Kiros' wisecracks and knocks at him. Therefore, it didn't faze him at all.

Rinoa and Ellone were speaking quietly to each other, an occasional laugh from them while Cid and Edea were speaking to Laguna and Squall. "A wonderful speech Squall," The matron told him softly, "Filled with heart and kindness."

Squall felt his face ting pink at Edea's kind words, "Indeed," Cid added with his broad grin, "Shows how much you have grown and changed, Squall."

The praise and such for how much he changed didn't seem to cure his pounding headache. As the conversation continued, Squall would try to rub his head slightly, without being too noticeable. There was so much pain, it was almost blinding.

"And to think, this whole party has gone without a single hitch," Laguna sang happily, taking another sip of champagne.

Suddenly, the entire ballroom darkened to that only the light of the full moon lit the area. The couples stopped dancing and the music halted as well. Murmurs of question were spread about as the people stared, seeking out answers to the sudden cut of the lights.

Selphie's voice echoed loudly as she was running about, searching for answers herself, "What happened! Why did the lights go off!" she screeched, while Irvine chased after her, trying to calm her down.

"Everyone stay calm!" Quistis shouted, "We're going to try to get the lights back on as soon as possible. Please leave the ballroom in an orderly manner!"

The ballroom slowly began to empty as Squall headed towards the middle of the dance floor to look around. Something didn't seem right to him. There was uneasy feeling circling about the entire room and he didn't like it one bit.

"Squall! Come on! Let's get out of here too!" Rinoa called to him from the doorway.

"Right…" he whispered into the air, as he turned towards the door.

That's when it happened. The familiar sharp stabbing pain rushed through Squall's chest. It spread up into his head and then back down to his feet. The young commander doubled over in agony, crying out in pain. It felt like a fire had begun in his chest. An uncontrollable blaze within his very being. He heard Rinoa call to him, as did the others. But, they sounded as if they were miles away from him. All Squall could focus on was the pain…and nothing more.

"_Your heart…give us your heart…" _it was a low raspy voice, as if not even human.

'What?' Squall thought.

"_The darkness is coming…give us your heart…give us strength…"_

'The darkness?'

"_No more talk…give your heart to us…to the heartless…" _

'The heartless?'

"…_..the door has been opened…." _

The room began to spin about Squall. He saw flashes of his friends reaching out to grab him as he fell. The sounds of air rushing and screams of all those he knew rang out into the consuming darkness. The ballroom almost seemed to be vanishing about him as he continued to fall into the darkness. Tiny creatures appeared about his body, yellow beady eyes gleaming as they stared him down. Squall could feel their tiny claws reaching and digging into his arms and legs. He heard Rinoa scream for him. Everything was growing dark about his mind. A dark cloud of nothingness encased his senses and poisoned his mind. He was falling into the darkness…

**Author's Note:** And it's off to the Kingdom Hearts world. Please forgive the grammar and spelling. It will be better by the next time around. Stay tuned.

**Please Read and Review**


	3. Waking to Strangers

**Author's Notes**: Here we are, Chapter 2. Now the story will fall into the Kingdom Hearts feel. Enjoy v

**Maybe I'm A Lion**

**Chapter Two**

_Waking to Strangers_

'_Squall…Squall…'_

_Squall opened his eyes slowly. He flinched to see a low, bright sunset over a large opened field. A familiar field; the flowers were in full bloom as the beautiful sun sank over them, making the pink petals seem to be on fire. The sweet smell of the ocean entered his lungs as he stood there, looking over the place…their place. _

'_Squall…I'm waiting for you…'_

_He looked up and out across the open area. There, standing in the distance, was the familiar long brown haired, brown-eyed girl that he loved so much. She stood, her back to him, her duster blowing slightly in the wind. _

'_Rinoa!' he called out to her, starting off at a run, trying to reach her. _

_Rinoa did not answer him, but only kept her back to him, 'Squall…I'm waiting in our place for you…'_

_Squall thought that she just hadn't heard her, 'Rinoa! I'm here! I'm right here!'_

'_I waited Squall….' _

_He ran faster…_

'_I waited and waited…'_

_He had to hold her in his arms…._

'_Everyday since then…'_

_And tell her that he was there for her…_

'_Since the war ended…'_

_Like he promised…_

'…_and you never came…'_

_The image blurred and an ear-piercing scream followed as the image of Rinoa shattered like glass and into the darkness…_

_

* * *

_  
"Rinoa!" Squall shouted, shooting up. His whole body was shaking as a layer of ice cold sweat rolled down his face and chest. Every inch was him was cold and clammy as his eyes darted about, question as to what happened entering his mind. He was expected to be in his dorm room or in the infirmary. Everything was a total blank. Squall looked up and glanced about, wondering where he was exactly.

It was a darkly lit room, lots of reds and blacks covering the walls. He was sitting in a large four-poster bed, red curtains hanging off of it. Japanese characters he did not understand decorated almost everything in the room, including the red heavy blankets that covered him as he panted out his breaths, trying to calm himself down. Off near the closed doors to a balcony, his uniform coat sat on the back of a desk chair with his gunblade propped up against the edge.

"What is this place?" he asked himself quietly, placing his head into his hands.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside of the door. It sounded like three people were approaching and at a quick pace.

"I think I heard something in the red room."

"Do you think he's finally woken up?"

"Oh dear. I hope he's alright."

It was one man and two women. He could tell by the voices. One of the girls sounded his age, while the other was slightly younger. The man was older than both of them. He had to hide. He didn't have anything to protect himself with, and that could only put him in more danger if they were armed.

Squall tried to swing his legs out of the bed and onto the floor. As soon as he moved to put an ounce of strain on them, a rush of weakness came over him and he fell backwards onto the soft pillow.

The door opened with a slight creak. The footsteps approached him slowly. All he did was lay there, his eyes looking upward to the canopy above him. 'I can't move…I can't do anything…'

As he continued to stare upwards, the face of one of the girls appeared above him. She had deep blue eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the low light of the room. Her brown hair hung in a long twisted like braid down her back and her bangs were in the most unusual style. Her soft smile almost seemed to relax his body and his nerves, "Hey, are you alright?"

'Her voice is light and sweet…like Rinoa's….'

All Squall could do was stare up at her, wondering who she was. Or, the better question was, why was she helping him? He remained silent, not sure if his voice was there to answer her question.

"Is he awake?" The other girl's voice asked as she came into view. She had the blackest hair that Squall had ever seen; short and in a bob-like cut. Her eyes were wide and full of question as she stared at him cheerfully. About her neck, there hung a pale yellow scarf and her outfit of a green mid-drift shirt, short shorts and sneakers were more or less, not to his tastes.

"He is. But, I don't think he can talk." The older girl told.

'I can too…' Squall thought, trying to move again, "I can talk. There's nothing wrong with my voice," he growled, his body feeling achy and weak.

Both girls jumped to see him move and speak so suddenly, "I'm so sorry…Please forgive me…" The girl with the wild-looking hair stated.

"…whatever…" Squall muttered as he tried to rise up once again from his resting place. He pushed himself up using every ounce of his strength he had in him, trying to get up and out of there. But, the girls only pushed him back down as if it was nothing.

"You mustn't try to move just yet," The younger girl told him gently.

"Yuffie is right. We just managed to get your heart back from the heartless…you must rest and regain your strength."

Yuffie nodded, "Listen to Aerith…she knows what she's talking about."

But Squall had heard enough. He needed to get out of there and back to Garden. 'Rinoa must be worried sick about me by now. And everyone else too…'

"Let…me go. I have to get back to Garden…I have to get back to Rinoa and the others," he started to ramble on. The sweat was started to form again, icier and more chilling than before.

"The boy is talking nonsense. It's his fever," the man's deep voice called as he walked over and into Squall's view. He too, had the strangest hair. It was tall and blond. A white shirt and a toothpick in his mouth was all he could really see as his vision started to go in and out of focus. The he blacked out once more and fell back into his darkness.

Yuffie turned and pouted, "Come on Cid! The guy just got his heart back!"

But Cid just brushed his nose with his thumb slightly, "Bah! Sure, he got his heart back. But he still thinks his world exists," he paused and stared down at Squall, "Poor kid. He has no idea about the heartless and all of the troubles…"

"I feel for him Cid. After all, we all had a world once too…" Aeris told him. Her eyes fell back upon the sleeping Squall and she gave him a soft smile, "He reminds me of him," she muttered.

Yuffie looked at Aerith, puzzled, "Him?"

Reaching out her hand, she brushed some of Squall's bangs from his eyes, "You remember…Cloud. He was always dark and brooding…kinda like him."

Cid reached out and grabbed the woman's hand away from Squall, "Cloud is dead Aerith and don't you forget it. He disappeared into the darkness along with Midgar and everyone else. Don't hang onto the past; just look to the future," he paused and looked down at Squall, "He might be able to help us. But, you keep your mind on our mission Aerith. This kid ain't Cloud. And you remember that." And with that, he released her hand, and disappeared out the door.

The women remained silent as the sounds of Cid's stomping feet left their ears and no sounds could be heard from outside or in. Aerith glanced down at her hands that now sat folded in her lap. Although in her mind she knew that he was gone, in her heart she knew Cloud was still out there; alive and well. She didn't want to give up hope. She couldn't let that hope die away just yet.

"Aerith? Are you ok?" Yuffie finally asked, her face filled with concern.

Looking up, Aerith fought back the forming tears in her eyes, "Yes. I'll be fine Yuffie. Thank you."

The girl studied her for a moment, then straightened up, "We should get back to patrol. According to the king, the heartless are growing in number in the second and third districts."

"If that is the case," Aerith muttered, "Then I will remain here with him."

"But Aerith,"

"The heartless got his heart once. No doubt that they will try to take it again. Look at him Yuffie," Aeris glanced over to the sleeping teen. The layer of cold sweat was clearly visible on his brow and was slowly soaking his white shirt as he breathed heavily, "He's weak and can barely sit up. How do you expect him to defend himself against the heartless like that?"

Biting her lip, Yuffie nodded, "Ok. But, I'm hurry with my rounds so that I can come back and help ya out later, kay?"

The brown haired girl smiled, "That sounds wonderful Yuffie. See ya in a bit."

* * *

_ "When you walk away, you don't hear me say, 'please…oh baby…don't go…'"_

Squall's ears perked at as a soft melody entered his ears. This muscles relaxed as his senses began to return to him. He felt the soft sheets beneath him and the coolness of the air around him. The sweat he was covered with before seemed to have left him, and calmness washed over him as he listened.

"…_Simple and clean is the way you are making me feel….tonight….its hard to let it go…"_

It was a gentle, almost sad sounding song, filled with longing and yet, a quiet understanding for something. And the voice that sang its words was as beautiful as that of…Rinoa's….

His eyes slowly opened to reveal a blurred image of the room he remembered for before. A red room but there was less people. 'One girl is gone…the one with the short black hair.' he thought to himself, letting his vision focus, 'so that means that the other girl is…'

She was sitting next to his bed, her eyes deep within a book. She had a slight smile on her face as she read, lightly muttering the lyrics to the song under her breath, as if trying to conceal her voice. He watched as her eyes wandered over the pages of the book. Then, slowly, they began to emerge and connected with his own.

"Oh!" She gasped, dropping the book from her hands.

Squall remained still in his bed, only letting his eyes follow her, "I'm sorry," he managed to muster out, "I didn't mean to scare you."

But the girl just laughed, picking up what she dropped, "It's alright. I wasn't expecting to see you staring back at me." Tossing her bangs from her eyes, she smiled sweetly, leaning over towards the bed. She propped her head up by resting her elbows to her knees and placing her chin to her palms. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

Blinking a few times, the young commander breathed in deeply and let out a soft sigh, "Not as woozy as before," he began. He tried to sit up. Instead, he ended up with slight strain of his muscles, forcing him to relax again, "But I still can't move all that much."

The girl in pink giggled, "You won't be able to move fully for at least another 3 hours. After all, we were able to give you back your heart," she sighed, "You were one of the lucky ones."

Squall gave the girl a blank stare, "I got my….heart back?"

Even the sound of the sentence sounded weird to him. How can someone loose their heart? Maybe the soul or their love for someone…but the actual heart? The essence of a being?

"I think I better wait to tell you about what happened," the girl told, standing from her chair. She leaned over Squall, letting her brown braid fall over her shoulder, "You should rest as much as you can until you can get back on your feet."

But the bed ridden youth protested, "Can I at least ask one question?"

Startled by his assertiveness, the young woman jumped back. She stared at him curiously, a faint smile able to come from her lips, "Of course," her faint voice muttered uncertainly.

Squall lifted his head slightly off of this pillow, making sure his blue eyes met hers, "Who are you and where am I?" he asked, his head beginning to swirl with dizziness again.

A soft chuckle came from the woman's lips, "That was two questions." She joked, as if trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I'm so sorry for not telling you. My name is Aerith," she told him happily.

Aerith sat down on the edge of Squall's bed, the delicate and gentle smile still upon her face. She smoothed his sheets slightly as she moved up closer to where he lay. The young man could only watch her as she slid her way up ever to carefully.

Her moves were that of how Rinoa acted when she took care of him after the Sorceress War ended. After she had awakened him from his death like sleep, he had become weak and exhausted. The doctor had instructed him to remain in bed for at least 4 days after his victorious return to Garden. Though it was against his wishes, Squall did as he was told and remained in his dorm and in his bed.

And during those long and dreadful four days, Rinoa was there beside him every moment. She would straighten out his sheets, bring him food, fluff his pillows, and even curl up with him and watch television. All of those things made him feel a special warmth within his own heart.

As Aerith's eyes came in contact with his own, he felt his lids grow heavy with exhaustion, "Aerith…" he yawned out as he felt a light touch push him down into a lying position. "….where am I?"

The darkness of sleep was engulfing him once more. But as his sense of the world began to leave him, those last words he heard seemed to cut through, "Welcome to Traverse Town."

* * *

Questions engulfed Squall's uneasy slumber. Aerith? Traverse Town? He had been to almost every town, on every continent, in every corner of the globe. And yet, this place she had told him, did not seem to ring any bells. Only more unanswered questions came to his unrestful mind. What happened that night at Garden? Did someone attack during the ball? Was it a new sorceress? And if it was an attack, why was he in a completely different town from Balamb?

* * *

By the time Squall could reopen his eyes, his body felt much stronger than before. He glanced off to the side of his bed to see an empty chair and the closed book on the end table. The doors that were once sealed shut were cracked opened, letting a cool breeze rustle the curtains about. Turning his head back to lay flat on the pillow, he let his eyes look up at the red fabric above his head. This place was most definitely not a dream. And at the same time, he really wished he was. 

Sitting up slowly so as not to cause a rush to his senses, the young commander took in a few deep breaths to steady his thoughts from wandering once more. The cool air entered his lungs as he inhaled and exhaled, calming himself slowly. He placed a hand to his brow, wiping away some of the lingering sweat.

"I need to find out where I am," he told himself aloud, knowing no one was around to hear him. "Maybe there is a way back to Garden. Like a train station or something that I can find out how to get home."

Squall threw back the sheets of the bed, revealing that he was still in his dress pants from the ball. They were slightly tattered looking, like he had been through a rough time in a fight. He moved slowly, letting his muscles relax and try to function properly from laying still for so long. Carefully, he placed his feet to the floor. Squall glanced down to the ground, seeing that his boots were placed neatly next to the side of his bed.

"They really know how to keep a guy's things neat," he muttered under his breath as he proceeded to replace his shoes to his feet.

As soon as the last lace was tied and the final buckle closed, Squall rose slowly to his feet. He reached out to one of the posts for support, just in case his legs refused to support the weight. Carefully, unbending his knees, he found himself upright and not at all uneasy about his balance.

Releasing the bedpost, Squall moved slowly towards the desk, feeling somewhat uneasy about walking. If a person were to look in on his progress, they would have thought he had never walked before. And if he were to be seen by his friends back in Garden, he would have probably killed himself out of embarrassment.

Before too long, Squall reached out to the chair with his coat on it for support. 'Finally,' he thought in triumph as he grabbed his uniform coat and placed it on. He didn't bother with the zipper, for he still felt a little warm. So, he let it remain opened, revealing his lion's head pendant. Grasping onto the hilt of his gunblade, Squall picked it up and placed it onto his side. He felt a slight rush of relief to have his weapon by his side once again. He hated having to be parted from it whenever he was in unfamiliar surroundings.

Turning from the desk, Squall made his way to the door. His strength was almost back to full as he placed his hand on the doorknob and pulled back to open the door. He was met with a hallway that was colored green and white. Looking in one direction, Squall was met with a wall then glancing back to the left, he saw his way out. The hallway was lined with multiple doors that all looked the same. But at the end of it all, was a door with a sign above it that read 'Exit'.

Moving out into the hallway, Squall quietly shut the door behind him. He hurried down towards the exit, trying to step as lightly as he could on the wooden floor boards. His boots were way too heavy to make no noise at all, so he hear his steps almost echo through the empty place. Not even pausing to take a moment, Squall pushed through the exit doors and out into the street.

Squall burst out the doors and stumbled slightly into the street. Halted quickly by a wall, he turned on his heels and let his jaw drop opened ever so slightly. The first thing Squall saw was all the neon lights of stores and various small shops. Not a single storefront was not without its brightly lit sign. Every rooftop was a tiled red design, giving the town some kind of uniformity. Directly across from where he stood was a hat shop that had an odd little man for their logo. Beside that store was a luggage place that had a set of stairs that lead down to a lower plaza area. Every part of the ground was slate grey cobblestone and the walls were a gold-like tone. Looking down to the left, there was a massive looking building with stained glass windows. It was the only building that didn't have some form of bright light shimmering off of it. Instead, it looked like it had a huge bell tower, as if it were almost like a town hall.

Looking back down to the right, Squall took notice of a small fountain area in the lower plaza that looked like it was made from white stone, maybe marble. He had small gold bell designs along the edge of it, adding a nice accent against the white. Directly above that, on the second level where Squall stood, were two extremely massive wooden doors. Averting his eyes once again, the young man sighed slightly. There was something extremely eerie to him about this section of this city. Though there were shops and what looked like a town hall, there were no people. Why would they have all these shops and such a nice shopping area, but no people?

Squall turned and headed towards the doors at the end of the district. As he walked, he couldn't help but turn his eyes skyward out of curiosity. Thousands of shimmering bright stars were scattered across the jet black sky. They seemed so close, as if this place was in a very high altitude. Some of them flickered oddly, almost as if they were going to burn out before his eyes.

Before he realized it, Squall found himself before the massive doors. He stared up at them in awe, wondering how exactly he was supposed to open them. 'They look way too heavy to push open. How the hell am I gonna get out of here?' he questioned to himself, placing a hand to his chin in thought.

Suddenly, a loud creak entered his ears, causing him to look down and off to the side. A smaller, more reasonable sized door had opened near the bottom right. Squall stepped back, placing his hand to his weapon as a natural reaction.

"Ug, what a day," a familiar perky voice grumbled. A short girl stepped through the doorway and onto the cobblestone. She wore bright orange sneaker with white shoelaces. White thigh high stockings covered her legs as tiny yellow shorts and a blue belt sat around her waist. Her stomach was bare while a tiny green tubetop with blue straps covered the rest of her. On her hands, she had black fishnets with metal bracers on her arm, covered by orange gloves. Hidden slightly by her short black hair was a metal headband, trimmed with the same color green as her shirt. About her neck, was a familiar yellow scarf that he had thought he had seen before.

She placed a hand behind her head as the door closed behind her automatically. "I better go check on Aerith and that—" Turning to face Squall, the girl jumped about three feet into the air in surprise. "Ah!" She screamed, falling backwards onto her rear end.

Withdrawing his hand from his weapon, Squall raised an eyebrow at the strangely dressed young girl. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him like he was a ghost. "Are…you okay?" he questioned her, who's mouth had fallen agape.

Shaking her head out slightly, realizing that she was staring at him weirdly, she smiled slightly, "Ye…yeah! Of course I am! You just startled me, that's all." She explained, a small nervous laugh hidden in her voice.

Moving slowly towards her, Squall extended a hand to her, "Need some help uh…?" he froze mid sentence, unsure of her name.

"Yuffie," she said boldly, grabbing hold of his hand. With one quick tug, Squall brought the girl to her feet. She rocked back and forth happily, giving the thumbs up in thanks. "The GREAT ninja Yuffie." She added on, winking at him. Shaking his hand slightly, refusing to release it, Yuffie almost seemed to be studying him carefully. "And you are?"

Keeping his stern expression, Squall cleared his throat at the awkward handshake, "Squall. Squall Leonhart." Removing his hand from hers, he couldn't help but cross his arms in question, "The 'great ninja'?" he asked, his voice filled with skeptic.

Brushing herself off, Yuffie huffed slightly at his words, "Yes. The GREAT ninja! You should see me in a fight," she struck a quick pose and then spun around gracefully, "No one can touch me."

Raising an eyebrow at her words, Squall let a smile slip out, "If you are so great, how come I could scare you? I thought ninja were alert all the time."

Yuffie glared up at the older man, "Hey! That's not fair!" she pouted, crossing her arms identically to Squall's, "After all I did to help you, this is how you repay me by insulting me?" Tossing her hair, the young girl started past him, heading towards the hotel that he had exited earlier. She placed her hands behind her head, as if trying to prove to him that she was going to ignore him.

Squall watched her carefully, unsure of what to say. He could apologize, but he thought his question was pretty justified. Granted, she had helped him out with that Aerith girl. Maybe she could help him once more.

"Hey," he began, starting after the young ninja, "Wait a sec. How do I get out of here?"

Halting in her footsteps, Yuffie turned quickly on her heels. She looked at him like he had four heads and horns on his head. "The door? The one I just came through." She told him, attitude etched on her voice.

But Squall shook his head in frustration, "No. That's not what I meant. I mean, which way is the city limits. I need to get back to my base." He explained, stopping a few steps away from the girl.

Yuffie slowly removed her hands from behind her head. She lost the expression of annoyance upon her features and stood quiet as she looked him up and down. "Did…did Aerith not tell you?" she asked softly.

"Tell me what?" Squall looked puzzled at the girl's question, unsure of what she meant. "Look, my home was attacked during a graduation ball," he paused, trying to remember back to what felt like only a few hours ago. The images were blurred in his thoughts. All he could remember was falling into something dark and the feeling of claws ripping away at his clothing and flesh. How he had a sharp pain in his chest and then darkness. "There was a lot of screaming…like everyone around me was…" his voice trailed off.

"Disappearing," a soft voice told quietly, causing both Yuffie and Squall to look up. Standing behind the young girl was the familiar young woman from before. Her long brown hair was still in its long braid that hung down her back. She wore a pink dress trimmed in a darker pink. Around her waist, sat a light blue belt with large silver studs around it. Her boots looked a bit too clunky for such a delicate girl, but none the less looked comfortable.

"Aerith," Yuffie muttered, turning to completely face her friend, "Shouldn't we wait to tell him all that? When Cid is around?"

The young woman nodded at Yuffie's words. She moved past her and took hold of Squall's hand in her own. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. I was doing some work in the next room over. I didn't even hear you leave." She apologized, a small smile coming to her lips. Squeezing his hand softly, she continued to smile. "Please come back to the hotel," she paused.

Yuffie smiled as her, "Squall. That's his name." she explained, knowing that to be the reason Aerith had stopped her words.

Aerith nodded, thanking Yuffie for that, "Squall. We can explain everything to you there over a calming cup of tea."

Looking at the two women, Squall didn't know how to react to their odd form of kindness. Despite knowing he could trust them because they had helped him before, he couldn't help but feel like they were much closer related to him in some way. Sure, the short ninja reminded him of Selphie with her spunky attitude and Aerith's kindness was almost a dead ringer for Rinoa. But deep down, he felt as if this was all a well organized plan that they were to meet. Did he believe in destiny? It really wasn't her preference to do so. But after the war, Squall was ready to try and understand anything.

Nodding his head, he continued to keep a stern face, "Alright."

"Good. Follow me," Aerith said happily, leading him back to the hotel, Yuffie on their heels.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Ah yes. The beginning of it all….sort of. Ah yes. So, chapter three should be up soon.

_Please Read and Review_


	4. Tales of Traverse Town

**Author's Notes:** Thank you for the comments everyone. 3 Here is the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it.

**Maybe I'm A Lion**

**Chapter Three**

Tales of Traverse Town

Upon re-entering the hotel, Squall followed Aerith and Yuffie back down the hallway that he had scurried out not even a half an hour ago. He walked a few steps behind them, watching as they passed simple conversation between them as if he weren't even there. They talked about things that were happening around the town and how a store's business was doing. Basic things that didn't seem too out of place or out of this world from normal individuals.

Stopping in front of a door that was the one next store to the room he awoke in, Aerith pushed it opened slowly and stepped inside. "I found him Cid." She called to someone inside.

As Squall entered the room behind Yuffie, he let his eyes wander quickly. There was a similar balcony to the room before, although the doors were closed tightly. The room was different shades of green, with a much simpler bed off in the corner. In the center of the room, there was a small wooden table that had four chairs and four cups of warm tea sitting awaiting their return.

In one of the chairs, sat the man Squall must have heard earlier. He was a strong gruff looking older man. His clothes were simple; a white tee shirt with a large, oddly shaped belt about his waist. He wore blue pants with a pair of combat boots that looked well-worn in. Around his neck, he had a small pendant and in-between his lips, a toothpick sat.

Looking over at the two young women and Squall, he let a small smile come to his lips, "Ah. Thought you could run off without say goodbye," he taunted, rising wearily from his seat. Walking around the table as Aerith and Yuffie moved to be seated, he extended his hand to Squall, "The name is Cid. Cid Highwind." He told, grasping his hand tightly.

"Squall Leonhart. It's a pleasure," Squall returned the introduction with a slight nod to his head.

"Take a seat boy," Cid nodded, moving his hand towards the table. "I would suggest taking the seat offer," he turned and headed back to his place, "You won't like what we have to say." He grumbled under his breath, as if he didn't want his words heard.

But Squall remained firm in his spot, ignoring the comments made by the man. His piercing blue eyes looked at each person who sat at the table with question. They all wore somewhat vague expressions, though their eyes seemed to tell their true emotions. Behind each color set was a vision of fear. A familiar fear he had seen only once before.

Aerith lifted the small china cup to her lips, taking in some of the warm honey-flavored liquid. Swallowing lightly, she returned it to its saucer with a light clatter. "Squall," she began, her eyes focused on the cup on the table, "Do you remember what happened before you woke up here?" she asked, her voice soft, but business-like.

The question caught the young commander off guard. Raising his hand to his chin, he thought back. "It was only a few hours ago," he told, puzzled by the girl's question. Running his hand through his hair slightly, Squall looked back into his thoughts briefly, clawing for a clear answer, "It was the SeeD graduation ball. The power had suddenly gone out and we were trying to get the people out of the garden ball area as calmly as possible. I was just about to leave when I felt this sharp stabbing pain in my chest. And then,"

"You woke up here right?" Cid finished his sentence, causing the young man to nod.

The older man sighed, taking hold of the cup in front of him. Instead of a simple sip, he tilted his head back and threw the hot liquid down as if it were a shot of strong liquor. He shook his head out, though not a single hair moved out of place and looked over to the two women.

Yuffie returned the stare he gave her then turned to Aerith, "You tell him," she whispered quietly.

"Tell me what?" Squall found himself speaking boldly out of nowhere. "All I want to do is get out of here and back to Garden. Rinoa and the other must be worried as all hell by now." He explained quickly, trying to stress his desperation. "Please, I am grateful for your help. You've been more than generous to me. But I need to head home back to Balamb."

Cid hung his head, shaking it slowly. "You don't understand kid." He looked up at Squall, letting their eyes lock. "You can't go back."

Squall raised an eyebrow at the man's words. "What? What do you mean I can't go back?" he took a step back towards the door, unsure of how to react to his words.

"This isn't how this should be done Cid," Aerith told across the table, placing a hand to the man's.

"Hush Aerith," he growled, pulling his hand away. Rising to his feet, Cid placed his hands firmly on the table to support him. "The kid needs to know about what really happened that night. How it wasn't a few hours ago," he looked at Squall out of the corner of his eye, "It was week ago."

Stepping back a bit more, Squall watched as the two women tried to calm Cid down. What did he mean by him unable to leave? The thoughts passed through his mind of what their true intentions were. He knew Garden was attacked and he had blacked out. Perhaps these people were the ones who attacked them. For all he could figure, he was a hostage and these people were not about to let him leave.

As their pointless banter went back and forth, Squall slowly withdrew his weapon from his belt. If these people weren't going to tell him anything, then he would have to make a break for it to the nearest train station. That is, if he could find one. He felt himself moving slowly to the door, trying to move without being noticed.

Yuffie looked over to see the young man with his weapon drawn, moving slowly back from their group. There was a look of clouded hate forming deep within his stunning blue eyes. His hand adjusted on the hilt of his large, odd looking weapon as he licked his lips slightly. He was going to run.

"Hey, calm down Squall," she finally told, halting the arguing between Aerith and Cid, averting their eyes to the young man.

Extending his arm out, Squall pointed the gunblade down at the small group. He glared as his muscles tensed trying to hold up his weapon without showing a sign of lingering weakness. "It's Commander Leonhart to you." He growled angrily as he continued back towards the door. "I don't know what kind of game you are playing with me, but it's sick to play with your hostages like this."

"Hostage?" Aerith questioned, rising to her feet. "Squall, you've got it all wrong."

"You attacked Garden! You took me captive because I know military secrets." His arm staggered slightly, the weakness coming over him from before. But, he fought against it. He refused to fall victim to these people once more. "What did you do to me? Where are the others? What did you do to my home!"

Cid placed his hands up slightly in a calming manner, "Kid, ya gotta calm down. We didn't do anything to your home. It was something else. The Heartless invaded your world and destroyed it."

Squall felt his glare sharpen slightly at the man, turning his gunblade towards him, "Like I would believe you. Heartless? That's a pretty pathetic excuse for a name. " He had now moved back into the doorframe, knowing that his only exit was right down the hallway. All that needed to be done was to distract them.

"Your world is gone Squall!" a voice shouted finally, breaking his train of thoughts. He stared straight ahead at the young woman in pink, her eyes shimmering with what looked like the beginnings of tears. Aerith had a stern look upon her once calming face, causing Squall to lower his weapon slightly. "It's gone. Everything is gone."

"…I….I don't believe you." Squall muttered.

But the woman shook her head, "You saw nothing but darkness that night. You felt the claws of something on your skin."

"Stop it," he muttered, lowering his weapon all the way so that the tip touched the ground.

And yet, Aerith persisted on. She moved around the table slowly, her eyes locked with Squall's. "That night, you heard the screams of your friends around you. As if they were dying. That burning in your chest was strong and unbearable."

"Stop it!" Squall shouted, releasing his gunblade from his hand. The large sword clattered onto the floorboards as his hand began to tremble slightly. The woman's eyes were piercing through him. Though filled with the beginning of tears, she almost seemed like Edea on the night the first time they fought. Strong and cold, yet distant warmth in them.

Before he realized it, Aerith placed a hand to his cheek. "Squall, you were one of the lucky ones. When the heartless destroy a world, they rarely leave someone alive."

Squall's eyes widened as he felt her warm touch on his face, "What do you mean?"

"There was a reason you ended up here in Traverse Town. Why you didn't fall into the darkness." She muttered quietly. The tears had started to fall down the side of her face slowly as she kept her stare upon the commander. "I'm sorry….but everyone you knew is probably…" her voice trailed off. She couldn't hold her glaze anymore, looking to the floorboards as if they had suddenly become more interesting than anything else. She dropped her hand from his face, trying to recompose herself.

Squall looked down at Aerith as she lightly sobbed. Her words felt like poison in his ears. There was no way that he could believe her and this lie. Garden could not be gone. He felt his hands tremble and his stomach do back flips. The floor felt like a boat deck in a storm as he struggled keep his legs from giving out and himself from shouting aloud.

'No. This can't be true.' He thought to himself, 'This can't be true. Everyone can't be…'

His mind began to look back to the ballroom. How everyone he knew was standing about him, smiling and laughing. His father was there with his Ellone, who was talking to the headmaster. Seifer was keeping a close eye from the buffet where Zell pounded back the hot dogs. Quistis was trying to get Selphie to put down the video camera and Irvine hit on some of new recruits. And Rinoa was by his side, looking as beautiful as ever.

All of his thoughts of the war came flooding back to him. How hard he fought to keep his world alive and free from the sorceress. His fight between Seifer, trying to convince him that he had fallen to the wrong side. And how no matter how much he thought he did not need the others, they were behind him to support his fight. And how he always promised Rinoa that he would come back to her and never leave her side. No matter what.

"Hey kid," he heard Cid's voice call out through his thoughts. "Kid, I think you need to sit. You're as white as a ghost."

But the words were ignored. He felt himself stagger backwards and into the hallway and collided with the wall. Within his chest, his heart was racing as if it were to burst.

'Rinoa….everyone…' he looked back to the three faces who stood in the doorway, eyeing him carefully as if he were a frightened animal. 'You can't be gone.'

"Squall," Aerith started once more, moving out into the hallway, "I'm sorry I had to tell you like this." She began to reach out to him once more, "Please. Come back inside. We can explain everything without being so forward. We can tell you about the true enemy. Who you can hunt for your revenge if that's what you really want to do."

He had to get out of there. There was too much to take in. All he wanted to was run and try to find a place where he could get home. This had to be a lie and he was letting emotion get the better of him. Squall knew he was stronger than this and he knew that he could find his way back home.

"No. You're lying to me," he swatted away the woman's hand, startling her. "Just…get away from me. Leave me alone!"

And with that, he bolted from the small group to the exit. The screams for him to come back echoed out into the empty district as he looked around franticly to find a way to run. He couldn't head back to the main gate. He knew the ninja girl would know he would try there first. Looking about quickly, he saw the stairs that lead down to the lower plaza. There was no time to think. They would probably come looking for him.

Squall ran down the stairs and into the lower plaza. He headed towards the large town hall like building. As he hurried, there was a small side ally that looked like it hadn't been used in a while. His feet was doing all the thinking now. Before Squall realized what was left and what was right, he was running down the darkened back ally. Running around the corner, he was met with a smaller set of wooden doors that looked similar to the larger ones back in the main area. Without a moment of hesitation, he burst into the next area over.

* * *

This district was completely different from the last one. As he stumbled into the area, he noticed that he was at the top of a set of stairs that turned from the cobblestones to something different. A small abandoned house to his left with the stairs to his right. Walking towards the wall, he looked out at the area below him. The ground almost like a tiled checker board, though it was shades of off-set purples and grays. There were high walls that had different designs all about them. There were red banners hanging off the street lights that were off to the sides and hanging up on the walls. In the far corner, there was a strange fountain that was all aglow with ground lights. Off to the right, there was what looked to the central power area and a side path that seemed to lead up and around the fountain. 

Taking in a deep breath, trying to regain what air he had lost from running, Squall moved down the stairs slowly. He held onto the railing tightly, trying to steady himself as he moved down to the tiled area. It almost looked like the people were setting up for a festival of sorts but it was interrupted by something.

Moving into the center of the area, Squall stopped in his tracks and looked up to the sky once more. It hadn't changed from the time he was last outside. He was surprised to see that it looked as if it was never going to change. His eyes darted about, looking at all the stars above his head in awe. He always loved looking up at them ever since he met Rinoa that night. Every time he saw a shooting star, he thought of her.

Squall focused on the brightest star in the sky and just watched it for a moment. The way it shimmered was almost abnormal for a star. Suddenly, there was a quick flash, making him shield his eyes. But, the instant ended suddenly. Looking back directly where he looked before, the star was gone; as if it has been swallowed up by the darkness of the night sky.

Stopping in the middle of the area, Squall closed his eyes. He was all alone without a true explanation as to what had happened to him. It was like after he fought Ultimacia all over again. He was wandering in a distant world and he could never be found again. In his mind, Squall found himself saying 'Don't cry you moron. You're tougher than that.' But in his heart, there was only a wrenching pain of loss.

A soft thud was heard as he dropped to his knees and threw his head into his hands. He didn't know what to think or how he should react. Aerith had said they could tell him how to live on and fight whatever had done this to him. But what would a girl like that know about fighting?

Light scurrying came to his ears, causing Squall to look up. The area was still around him. Not even a light breeze. Everything was silent, and it made him nervous. He had left his gunblade on the floor of the hotel, making him curse under his breath. Slowly rising to his feet, looked around him.

Small flat shadows were slowly encircling him, squirming on the ground like bugs that had just been stepped on. One by one, they started to rise into a three dimensional form, their bodies twitching slightly. They were simple creatures; all black with a single set of bright yellow eyes. Their ears perked up into a zigzag design, while their hands were small with tiny claws on the ends.

'These things,' Squall thought as he turned slowly around to see more coming out of the ground, 'They were those things that night.' His thoughts flashed back to that night. How he felt claws digging into his flesh and Rinoa's pain-filled screams. These creatures were the cause of all his pain. Glaring about, the young man tightened his hands into tight fists. Holding them up, he took a battle stance. He was never that great with his fists. Squall always left that to Zell. But now that his friend was gone, he hoped that he had gained something from him over the years.

The square had become full of at least fifty of the tiny monsters. That was Squall's estimate at least. There was no way he could handle all of these things with use his fists.

"Lighting!" A scream called out over the area. Bolts of electricity shot down from the heavens out of nowhere with a tremendous roar. The energy struck the heartless, destroying five of the small creatures.

Looking up to the top of the enterance way, he felt his eyes widen. Aerith stood at the railing's edge, a large metal staff posed in the air. Her eyes locked with his as she smiled slightly. "You okay Squall?" she shouted down to him.

"He will be," Cid called appearing at her side with Yuffie right behind, "Once he gets with back." With one might thrust of his arm, Squall watched as his gunblade was thrown into the air. The weapon spiraled down, colliding with the body of a heartless as the steel broke the ground below it. The small creature wisped and melted away into the air as his weapon showed no blood of any sort.

Nodded to the man in thanks, Squall grabbed the handle of his sword and withdrew it from the ground. He spun it around once, adjusting to the weight once more. Smiling, his face once again became stern as he charged forward into the creatures.

Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid watched in amazement at the commander's speed and grace. If one heartless was coming from behind, the blade would be there and then fast enough to be in front of him to kill off the next creature. He never faulted in his attacks, nor did he flinch. With every step and swing of the blade, they could tell he was very well trained.

Before it could be taken in, the area had been cleared of the creatures. As the final smoke cloud of the heartless creature vanished, the three people saw that Squall was on one knee, his weapon posed out to his side. His breath was heavy as knelt there, trying to calm down the rush of adrenaline that must have coursed through him during the moments of battle. His hair hung wildly in his face, covering the scar that sat squarely between his eyes.

Yuffie leaned against the wall, her mouth agape and eyes wide, "Did you see how he moved! Like a cat!" she squealed to Cid, who pushed his thumb across his nose with a smile.

"He'll make a nice guardian." The man said proudly.

Aerith smiled as she watched Squall rise to his feet and roll his shoulder slightly. He placed his gunblade back into his belt and averted his eyes to her. Placing her staff against the wall, she moved away from the railing and down the stairs. Her long hair swung slightly as she walked down the steps to the main area. She felt Squall's eyes still on her, watching her every move.

As she came into the wide plaza, she stopped a good 10 feet from the young man. She could see the sweat roll down the side of his face as he continued to pant, but not as heavily as before. She kept her smile calming as she watched for his next move.

Squall looked at the woman in pink, unsure how to react. They had given him back his weapon to fight the creatures that he remembered. Someone who would hand him a weapon to defend himself in such a fight was not his enemy. And someone who would care for him, even though they didn't know him, was something that posed no threat. If he could learn to trust those from his world, then he could do it one more time.

Shaking his mane of hair out, he moved towards her slowly, "I'm sorry I ran from you. I didn't want to believe you and what you had to say." He told, lowering his gaze from her. "Those things were what destroyed my world and took my friends from me." Looking back up, Squall found a small smile, "If you want me to help you fight whatever that was, then I will. I want to revenge what they did to me and my home."

But the woman kept her calming smile, "You didn't let me finish," she told as the young man paused about a foot away from her. Looking up into his deep blue eyes, Aerith spoke softly, "No one is truly gone. Even if they might have disappeared into the darkness, they are never really gone."

"How do you know that?" Squall asked; his face unchanging.

"Because I believe that there is always a way out of the darkness," she told with a soft gaze to the side, "But I will explain it all soon enough." Shaking her ill-feeling away, she clasped her hands together and brought back her cheerful disposition, "But, enough of this sadness. We should get you settled in."

She waved up to the two individuals who returned the gesture. "We'll get you some fresh clothes and have your weapon modified. You'll be using it a lot more now." Aerith told as she moved back towards the stairs.

Watching Aerith move to go back up the stairs, Squall let his stern expression return once more. He knew that this was probably much bigger than just a few mere creatures in the town square. If he was brought here for a reason, it would soon be revealed to him.

**Author's Notes**: I hope you enjoyed it everyone. Stay tuned for the next chapter sometime this week. And remember:

Please Read and Review v


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